I have the power

Wednesday 6/19/24

Moved the Willie Mays op-ed. And the Dracula essay.

Walked three miles, did 100 push-ups and fifty circuits of stairs at the Connecticut gate. Was all gung-ho to run stairs in the Monument, but it was closed because of the heat. Soft. A ranger who was leaving some time later passed by and told me that it'd be closed for the next few days in all probability. It was hot.

Worked on a story called "If You Can't Be Honest." I'd like to say it's a crazy story, but I'm not comfortable doing that because everything is so controlled. There isn't anything that isn't by design. The story takes the form of guy answering what seems to have been a question put to him--repeatedly--and his answer is unflattering, to say the least. We then get this apocalyptic scenario in which humanity seems to end, with the sky cracking open and what appears to be the 1982 cartoon version of He-Man coming through the crack to vacuum off the energy of all humans present and past. And it goes on like that, before we return--sort of--to where we started. Is this just a fight, the end of a relationship? What one might call the final straw and how that gets distorted out of all reasonable proportion? It's funny, pointed, and some would think it's crazy but in the way you want someone to. Still need to go over it.

I had said recently that I didn't think Connor McDavid should win the Conn Smythe, and I probably should amend that now. He has 42 points. So, yeah, okay. What else can you do? It's 42 points! Obviously if the Oilers somehow come back and win this series you might as well give it to him three times over, but even if they lose. I'd written that he had a shot at 40, but to actually do it is very impressive. It might be the most impressive thing he's done to date. What an interesting series this has become.